Conn. firefighter dies preparing for brush blaze

(NECN: Brian Burnell, Redding, Conn.) - A veteran firefighter lost his life while getting ready to fight a brush fire over the weekend weekend.

Lt. George Marshall Sanford had worked in the town of Redding for more than 50 years as a firefighter.

Chief Ron Van Oostendorp said, "he was getting the ambulance reading and getting ready to drive over to the brush fire scene. He must have collapsed in the process of getting going."

Sanford was a firefighting enthusiast who collected model fire engines and real-life ones, bringing the big rigs to shows.

Van Oostendorp said the fire, which was a small brush fire, was small and probably started by careless disposal of smoking materials, but he notes that the state is under a red flag warning for fire danger because of drought.